Common name : South American leaf fish, Amazon leaf fish Scientific name : Monocirrhus polyacanthus Family : Polycentridae Native to : Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia Interesting fact : Leaf fish are extremely agile hunterscatching fairly large prey and consuming it in a fraction of a second. Conservation status : Not Evaluated The leaf […]
Common name : Banded jewelled-blenny, Banded blenny, Jewelled rockskipper Scientific name : Salarias fasciatus Family : Blenniidae Native to : Australasia Interesting fact : It has a hard jaw with which it delivers a concussion-blow to fish and invertebrates confronting it. Conservation status : Least Concern The lawnmover blenny is found feeding on algae from
Scientific name : Pristis pristis Family : Pristidae Native to : Indo-West Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : A sawfish can replace its tooth if it is lost or worn out. Conservation status : Critically Endangered This sawfish looks quite menacing as it has a saw as its snout, with 14 to 22 very large teeth
Common name : Sea lamprey Scientific name : Petromyzon marinus Family : Petromyzontidae Native to : Worldwide Oceans Interesting fact : Lampreys spawn in rivers and die shortly after. Conservation status : Least Concern About 38 species of these eel-like fish are found in coastal and freshwaters. It has a round, sucker-like, jawless mouth filled
Common name : Merlet’s scorpionfish, Weedy scorpionfish Scientific name : Rhinopias aphanes Family : Scorpaenidae Native to : Western Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : Lacy scorpionfish wait for the prey to come close and inhale it after lunging forward. Conservation status : Not Evaluated Aptly named, the lacy scorpionfish is lacy, with a large upturned
The Paradisaea apoda (scientific name) or bali bird-of-paradise is found in the hill forests of South-West New Guinea and Aru Islands of Indonesia. The male bird’s height is 17 inches, excluding its tail. This bird has an iridescent green face and body, maroon-brown body and yellow white with maroon streak tail which is very long.
Common name : Orca whale, Orca, Grampus Scientific name : Orcinus orca Family : Delphinidae Native to : Oceans worldwide Interesting fact : Killer whale uses echolocation for communication and locating its prey. Conservation status : Data Deficient The killer whale lives in family groups called pods, feeding onfish, seals, mammals, sea birds and sea
Scientific name : Arctocephalus philippii Family : Otariidae Native to : Juan Fernandez Islands Interesting fact : The mother returning from thesea after feeding calls the pup on land with a characteristic call to nurse it. Conservation status : Least Concern Named after the island it is found in, the Juan Fernandez Fur Seal (like
Common name : Atlantic John dory, Doree, Gallocristo, Girti, St. Peter’s fish Scientific name : Zeus faber Family : Zeidae Native to : Coasts worldwide Interesting fact : John dory’s body is so thin that its hard to spot when viewed from the front. Conservation status : Least Concern The John dory lives near seabeds
The Pharomachrus mocinno (scientific name) or quetzal is a strikingly coloured bird, native to Central American cloud forests and sub-tropical woodlands. With a height of 14-16 inches plus 26 inches of tail length, the quetzal weighs 210 grams. It is bright golden-green all over, except on its belly, which is red in colour. The female
Scientific name : Porcellio pumicatus Family : Porcellionidae Native to : Worldwide Oceans Interesting fact : The female broods its young ones in a pouch under the thorax. Conservation status : Not Evaluated Isopods are crustaceans living in land, sea and freshwater. They have segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs
Scientific name : Carukia barnesi Family : Tamoyidae Native to : Australia, British Isles, Japan and the Florida Coast of United States Interesting fact : Due to its small size, it is hard to notice and can be fatal to humans. Conservation status : Not Evaluated The world’s smallest jellyfish, irukandji is only 5-25 mm
Common name : Hump whale, Hunchbacked whale Scientific name : Megaptera novaeangliae Family : Balaenopteridae Native to : Oceans worldwide Interesting fact : Males sing a song for 10-20 minutes which they repeat for hours at a time. Conservation status : Least Concern The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale that feeds on
The Chrysolophus pictus (scientific name) or golden pheasant is found in China; however, some are found as far as the UK. An adult male typically measures an average of 90-105 cm; its tail is the longest part of its body. The golden pheasant male is a beautiful bird, and many folk tales about it, abound.
Scientific name : Limulus polyphemus Family : Limulidae Native to : Canada, Mexico and United States Interesting fact : Their blood is blue due to hemocyanin and has amebocytes giving them immunity from pathogens. Conservation status : Near Threatened The horseshoe crab is found in sandy bottoms of oceans. It grows up to 60 cm